Real Bread Campaign disappointed at ASA sourdough shambles
On 3 February 2016, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that a series of advertisements for ‘sourdough’ toasties were not misleading, despite the product being made with added yeast.
Campaign coordinator Chris Young said: “What a shambles. We are deeply disappointed that the ASA has failed to protect shoppers in search of genuine sourdough bread from the possibility of being misled by an advert for a product made with added commercial yeast.”
The complaint was made by the Real Bread Campaign in November 2015 after the retailer, EAT, declined repeated requests to confirm that the product was made by hand without artificial additives or baker’s yeast. Given that sourdough is the oldest form of leavened bread, and so its recipe hardly a trade secret, this led the Campaign wonder what else might be present in the EAT product.
Other concerns raised in the Campaign’s complaint did, however, succeed in the retailer voluntarily agreeing to remove from its website claims about the method of production including: ‘knead me, by hand’, ‘10 years of crafting a Full Flavour’, and ‘up up up rising for 6 hours’.
The Real Bread Campaign continues to fight for an Honest Crust Act, that will require greater transparency in loaf labelling, and give shoppers greater protection from misleading marketing.
Information on genuine sourdough – and its sourfaux imitators - can be found on the sourdough page of www.realbreadcampaign.org
ENDS
Notes
- The ruling (case A15-318282) can be found on the ASA website.
- The Campaign is currently in discussion with Defra on these issues.
- The ninth month of this year will again see bakers, millers and other Real Bread lovers help everyone else to enjoy the doughy delights of leaven loving during the Campaign’s annual Sourdough September celebration.
Published Wednesday 3 February 2016
Real Bread Campaign: The Real Bread Campaign finds and shares ways to make bread better for us, better for our communities and better for the planet. Whether your interest is local food, community-focussed small enterprises, honest labelling, therapeutic baking, or simply tasty toast, everyone is invited to become a Campaign supporter.
